Burn This Whole World Down
by A. Alice-LaCasse
Summary: All things truly wicked start from innocence. — [Bane x OC] Spoilers for The Dark Knight Rises.
1. The Soul of Humanity

**Burn This Whole World Down**

**One: **_The Soul of Humanity_

* * *

_Now it seems I'm fading._

_All my dreams are not worth saving,_

_I've done my share of waiting._

* * *

There was something undoubtedly ominous about the way her shoes clicked against the marble floor underneath her feet. Even the loud chanting and shouting from the destination she was steadily heading towards did not drown out the sound.

Her steps were slow; clearly shaky and uneven, betraying just how nervous she really was. Light grey eyes danced around the messy marble hall, few scattered civilians throwing curious glances her way. Most likely because they were so used to people being dragged in here by force, rather than walking into literal hell willingly and seemingly calmly. The fact that she was a young woman and looked rather ordinary probably wasn't helping her either; she stuck out like sour thumb out here.

For a second she stopped, trying to convince herself that she had to do this. That this was the only way to find any leads on her missing brother. Since Gotham City went to hell almost two weeks ago – about the same time her brother, James, disappeared – there was no other authorities she could contact about him.

Ella Brown sighed, letting her weariness show slightly for a brief second, before masking her real emotions and forcing her features back into a calm mask again. What the hell was she thinking going to a group of criminals and asking for their help? True, James got constantly mixed up with wrong people, and she hoped that someone may have known where he was now, but most of these people were still criminals – brutal ones at that.

Closing her eyes for few seconds, she desperately tried to relax her tense muscles and clear her mind. People judged in that room were criminals and she was the furthest thing from a criminal – she was a doctor for crying out loud, she didn't even know how to fire a gun. She was in no danger. Right?

Gathering whatever courage she still had inside her, Ella moved towards the entrance. The loud voices were screaming back and worth, large number of people surrounding a single golden, torn down and trashy looking chair. To Ella it was a clear mockery to all rich people in Gotham, especially when quite few of them faced their death sentences sitting on that exact, fancy looking chair. But then again, there no longer was such thing as rich and poor in this city nor in this room; here everyone was equal.

"_Sooo_, Mr. Jefferson. Exile, or death?"

Ella's lips twitched as she glanced up at the 'judge' who was sitting high above everyone else in the courtroom. Slipping silently into the room, she got a better look at none other than Jonathan Crane. Also known as the infamous Scarecrow. He was one of the first major criminals Batman defeated all those years ago when he first became famous. The slimy snake was testing illegal drugs on Arkham inmates and later played a major role in poising Gotham's water supplies. And now he was sitting there smugly, wearing his scruffy suite and judging people who were ten times better than him. Ella felt almost sick that she would have to address _him_ of all people.

Leaning silently against a wall and trying not to draw any attention to herself yet, Ella waited for Mr. Jefferson's answer.

Mr. Jefferson, who kept twitching while sitting in the fancy chair, was a man in his early 40ties and had a fair amount of money if dirty remains of an expensive Armani suite were anything to go by.

The man was sweating profoundly, his eyes flying nervously around the room. The loud shouting and screaming of people were hardly helping him, that much was clear, and Ella waited with a bated breath for his answer.

"_E-Exile._"

The crowd cheered and Crane's eyes lit up with sadistic glee that made Ella want to turn around and run for the hills.

"Order in the court," Crane shouted loudly, banging the hammer onto the table. "The man has chosen his fate, take him away men. The walk of exile for him – lets see if he can walk on ice as quickly as can steal from the poor, _ha_!"

Mr. Jefferson was hauled up onto his feet and Ella watched with small amount of pity as the man was dragged out of the 'court room', looking stricken. Ella had heard rumours of the so called 'Walk of Exile'. Anyone who had chosen to be exiled had a chance to walk across the river to safety. Of course the fact that winter had just begun and the ice was still weak left anyone who tried with no chance of success.

Ella straightened up, she could already hear another person being dragged down the hall she just walked down, their screams already loud enough to be heard in a room full of loud criminals.

Clenching her fists few times, and trying to force her heart to stop beating so quickly, Ella stepped forward, stiffly walking forward and into the middle of the room.

_You can do this_, she told herself, _you're just looking for your brother, you've done nothing to upset these people. You're fine._

Yet the loud hammering of her heart was so loud it almost drowned the sound of people around her. She reached the middle of the room far too quickly for her liking, and stopped next to the golden chair that Mr. Jefferson was sitting on just few seconds ago.

Ella swallowed shakily when she noticed that the room was almost quite, beside few laughs and cat whistles, every single person in it was staring at her. Resisting an urge to turn around and run away, she looked up at Crane who was peering at her over his glasses. His lips twitching into a twisted little smirk; he looked intrigued at her sudden appearance. Ella cleared her suddenly dry throat, deciding to speak up before he could.

"I have come here today to ask for help from good citizens of Gotham," she began, rubbing her sweaty palms against her coat as inconspicuously as she could. "It's nothing much just some information."

Crane narrowed his eyes, leaning even closer over his table to peer down at her, "What kind of information?"

Ella bit her lip. "I'm looking for someone. I was hoping to find some sort of lead here."

"And what makes you think anyone here will help you?" he asked flippantly, like she was a silly child who should have realized this sooner.

"I presumed the power of choice was given to Gotham's citizens for that exact reason," she snapped back before she could stop herself. "So they could choose who and when to help. Or am I wrong in making that assumption?"

_Damn it, you idiot. _

Ella cursed herself inwardly, beating herself for not being able to keep her mouth shut when required. The last thing she needed right now was to get on the bad side of one of Gotham's most famous psychos.

She could already tell from the tenseness of his jaw and the tightness of his lips that Crane was far from pleased too. He was a respected figure once more, and she blandly insulted his so-called 'rule' over justice.

"And what is the name of this individual?" he asked, slowly, a bone chilling amount of coldness in his voice.

"James Brown. But he prefers Jim."

Suddenly Crane leaned back, a flicker of recognition passing through his eyes. Ella did not miss few murmurs amongst the crowd of people either.

_So… they know him then. _

"And your relations to this man?" Crane demanded, his voice sharp, and eyes observing her like some zoo animal.

Ella hesitated. What should she do? Lie or tell the truth? One hand if she told them who she was, anyone her brother had wronged may use her as a payback, putting a bullet between her eyes faster than she can say 'hello'.

But then again, if she lied and someone recognize her or worse found out that she was lying they would kill her for lying to them. These people weren't exactly the type you lie to and expect to wake up to see another dawn. So, whichever option she chose did not matter because there was no safe option. This was, in every sense of the word, a lose-lose situation. She was in danger either way. Well, in that case…

"Sister," she relented at last. "_Sir_," she added tightly, the word sounding quite bitter coming from her mouth.

But then again, perhaps it was better to at least be a little respectful to the psycho if only to find out about James whereabouts.

The silence was suddenly destroyed by a loud, hysteric laugh that escaped Crane's mouth. Ella's lips parted in surprise as she stared at the maniac wide-eyed.

"Oh, I'm sorry, my dear. But your brother is long…_dead_," Crane announced, mirth colouring his voice, lips twisted into a half-sneer.

Blood in Ella's veins suddenly turned to ice, and she felt a heavy lump suddenly form in her throat. For years now she had expected to hear those words, simply because she knew that being around people James surrounded himself with was going to be the death of him one day. But still, the pain was still as sharp, still as bitter and crippling as if she had never known about the torment of such loss before.

"Is there anything else we can help you with, _my dear_?" Crane asked, his head shaking back and forth in almost mocking fashion.

_He's mocking. That bastard._

Ella's jaw clenched and she glared at the ground resentfully.

_Leave. Leave right now_, her mind urged her desperately. She had to get out of this now suffocating room. She knew what would happen is she did not. It was rather simple really, either she would have a mental breakdown right there in front of all these people, or she would try to take that little snake's eyes out.

Ella, however, valuing her life decided to choose neither options. Instead, swallowing back a hateful response that would no doubt result with her cold body laying somewhere in a ditch, she straightened her spine and ignoring the burning in her eyes, spoke more bravely than she felt.

"No, but thank you for your time," she answered flatly, and without saying another word turned around to leave.

She walked much quicker than before, her body tense as she waited for anyone to try and stop her from leaving.

No one did.

Still, Ella did not lower her guard until she was outside the building, the fresh winter air biting lightly at her flushed skin. Stopping on top of large marble steps, Ella leaned heavily against one of the supporting pillars.

Glancing up at the grey Gotham sky, she let her eyes flutter shut as few snowflakes fell lazy from the sky. The calmness was soothing against her agony, and a single tear ran down her cheek as she carefully wiped it off the moment it fell. This was not the place to cry, she will let herself grief when she gets into the safety of her flat and not a moment earlier.

After few more seconds of silence, she got over her moment of weakness and straightening her coat she began to climb down the stairs, preparing herself for a long trek home. However, before she could, a voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Stop."

Male. Demanding. Strong. Harsh. Incoherent.

She did not want to turn around. She did not want to see the face she feared she was going to anyway.

"Turn around."

For a second she toyed with idea of ignoring his demand and trying to run for it, but no doubt he would probably shoot her dead the moment she tried to flee. So she turned, slowly, cautiously. Her grey eyes met the eyes of a man before her and her heart fell to her stomach.

She knew who he was. Oh, boy did she know. Every single person in Gotham did. After all, how can anyone mistake that menacing frame, those burning eyes that pierced everyone who dared to look at them like knifes, and most importantly a metal mask that covered almost all of his face.

No one knew why he wore it, even if there were many rumours about it. Ella for one was sure that he wasn't wearing it as a fashion accessory.

So, of course she knew who he was.

The man who brought Gotham to its knees.

The man who according to rumours broke the Batman like a toothpick.

_Bane. _

"You are coming with me Miss. Brown."

Not a request – a demand.

And before Ella could say a word, two men appeared beside her, one of them pressing a gun to her ribcage.

So much for a quite afternoon grieving…

* * *

**AN:** Hello!~ Hope you enjoyed the first chapter. To my old readers - SORRY! I did not plan on disappearing for few months like that, but life has been stressful and inspiration was not being very good friend as of late. But I am back and I'm ready to work!

As for this story: I love Bane! How can you not? That guy is badass. Tom Hardy did an _amazing_ job at playing him so I had to write this story, because character like him deserves a story written about them. I also hope you like Ella, as I always put a lot of love in creating my OC's. And as for her and Bane - well, it's gonna be long and intresting ride, I'll tell you that. I'm not known for rushing romance as it does not going to happen overnight, but I'll happen eventually.

Also, was my Crane alright? This is the first time I've ever wrote him and I was nervous. I know I made him to be an ass, but he is a villain and he is just slightly deranged (especially in Dark Knight Rises), which was hard for me to do, because I actually really like Crane. Not as much as Bane and Joker but still.

**Kind Regards.**

**A.~**


	2. You've Dug Your Own Grave, Now Lie In It

**Burn This Whole World Down**

**Two: **_You've Dug Your Own Grave, Now Lie In It_

* * *

_I don't care what you think as long as it's about me,_

_The best of us can find happiness in misery._

* * *

Ella was having an incredibly hard time trying not to show her fear. She felt like she had committed some type of crime she was unaware of, as two men led her down one of the deserted halls of a building she just came from. Bane was leading the way, his body and presence still as terrifyingly raw as few minutes ago when she first saw him. For a long moment she tried to think back to anything she might have said to offend any of these men, especially Bane, but each time she came up blank.

One of the men – a guy in his early 30ties, short black hair and sullen brown eyes – all but dragged her down the hall, his arm clenched tightly around Ella's forearm. She squirmed few times, trying to show just how uncomfortable she was, but the guy clearly could care less. After few more minutes of excruciatingly slow and awkward walk, they came up to stand before a wooden double door guarded by another two men that were holding guns in their hands. The moment two men noticed them approaching, they immediately straightened up, and the unconcealed emotion in their eyes was one Ella was all too familiar with: _fear_.

The door opened for Bane as it had a mind of its own and the guy holding Ella dragged her into the room. For a moment Ella expected to see a lavish and shiny office that cliché bad guys always seemed to have, but instead the room was surprisingly bare. There was only a desk, a bookcase, few chairs and an odd painting hanging on the wall.

The man who was holding her pushed her forward roughly and Ella threw him a glare over her shoulder, carefully rubbing her forearm trying to resume the regular blood circulation in her arm. Both men that led her into the room gave sharp nods in Bane's direction, and without another word left the office in barely contained hurry.

Ella turned slowly towards the table and found that Bane was already staring at her, his sharp eyes taking in every detail, striping her bare without even trying – she felt like she was naked under the pressure of that intense scrutiny.

"You must be wondering why you're here," he spoke lowly, the metallic ring in his voice still managing to catch her off-guard.

She gave him a feeble nod, now feeling even more nervous since she was left alone with this terrifying individual.

"Sit."

She swallowed. "I rather stand, thank you."

He gave her a look that almost made her heart climb up to her throat. "I'm afraid I must insist."

This time she didn't need to be told again, she did as she was told and almost fell into the hard yet comfortable wooden chair. They sat in silence for another few seconds and Ella immediately noted that he wasn't much of a talker; clearly everything he said was important and straight to the point, he didn't like to waste his breath on any type of small talk.

Finally, unable to take the tension anymore, Ella broke the silence first, "Why am I here?" she blurted out, and almost immediately felt an urge to slap her hand over her mouth.

"Tell me, what do you do, Miss. Brown?" he asked her instead, completely ignoring her previous question.

Ella wondered why he would even care, but lying was out of question once again. He knew her real name, and the fact that he essentially ran Gotham now meant that it would take him no more than ten minutes to know her whole life story. There was also that nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach that told her that he would know instantly if she was lying and that it would most likely not end well for her.

"I'm a doctor, sir," he replied slowly, gauging his reaction very carefully.

He titled his head to one side that almost reminded her of a 'go on' gesture so she continued. "I've been one for almost four years now."

"And your brother?"

"A Sales Manager," she responded faintly, looking down at her lap. She could feel Bane's hard stare on her face as she twisted a small silver ring on her middle finger nervously. "However, I know that he had previous dealings with Gotham's Underground."

They were so different, James and her; one hot headed and stubborn, another prideful to the point of egoistical and cold. Ella despite her fiery nature had always been happy with her average mundane life, but James wasn't. No, he always believed he was destined for greater things; that he deserved more than he already had. They had gotten into so many fights over the fact that James always tried get more money by some very questionable means. Yet he was still her beloved older brother, and she always forgave him after their screaming matches. And now; now, she felt that in a way she was guilty for Jame's death too. Maybe, if she had pushed him harder to quit his extra activities at night, he might still be alive today.

"And were you aware that your brother owed a lot of people, myself included," Bane commented calmly, and Ella's breath hitched in her throat.

_Oh, James what have you done?_

"No, sir," she breathed gently, blinking to clear her slightly blurry vision. "My brother told me very little, he did not want me to know anything in fact, said it was for my own good."

Ella stayed still for few seconds before finally beginning to pieced together exactly what Bane was trying to tell her and horror washed over her as she finally realized just why she was there in the first place. She looked up at Bane, hoping that she was just being rash and jumping to conclusions too early.

"Have you finally figured out why you're here?"

She gaped at him like a rather unattractive fish for few seconds before her brain kicked into overdrive.

"Sir, I can't_ possibly_ be of any use to you," she babbled, a feeling of desperation crawling up her spine. "I don't even know how to shoot a gun."

"On contrary, I believe you may of great use to me," the masked man voice cut her off, daring her to speak out of turn, his dark eyes cold. "You're a smart woman and a doctor, my men get injured all the time. A doctor is not only needed but essential."

"But surely you can find a more experienced doctor—" _Please. Please. Please._

Bane's eyes narrowed slightly, and Ella suddenly felt cold to the very core from just one look, immediately causing her to shut up. She knew that she was stepping over the invisible line, and if she continued this way any longer, she was going to be dead in the next two minutes.

"I don't think you fully understand what I'm trying to tell you, Miss Brown."

Of course she did. She wasn't stupid.

This was not a choice - there never was _a_ choice.

This was her only alternative.

That or death.

"I don't really have a choice, do I?" she whispered, brushing a loose strand of her dark hair behind her ear.

Bane said nothing, not that Ella expected him to. His silence was the only answer she needed.

"I…"

She choked on her own words. Was she really going to do this, willingly? It's not like she had much of a choice though. This was the right thing to do…right?

_Then why does it feel like I'm about to sell my soul to the devil?_

"I…I accept."

"Under any other circumstances it would have been your brother sitting in your position," he remarked coolly. "So I will tell you this only once: you're brother owed me more than you could ever imagine. So, take my advice now and forget your old life completely."

With that he got up and walked steadily towards the door, his heavy footsteps making remarkably little to no sound – a truly silent killer.

Forget…?

"Wait," she said quickly, getting up on her feet as well. "When you say to forget my old life…" she stopped herself, and gathering her courage she looked him straight in the eyes.

Ella cleared her throat. "Just how long will I be…" she trailed off, unsure what she wanted to say. "…'working' for you?"

Bane cast her a dark look that made her heart squeeze uneasily.

"For however long it will take you to repay your brother's debt, or until you die, whichever comes first."

With that he walked out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

* * *

**AN:** Greetings! *waves* First of all, THANK YOU for the amazing amount of love this story has already received. I mean, 31 review for first chapter? That's bloody amazing people. GO TEAM BANE! I also apologise for the shortness of this chapter but I found it surprisingly hard to to write for some reason. Maybe because it was purely Ella/Bane and that guy is SO hard to write. I constantly had to think about what he said. 'Would he really say that? Am I making him OCC?' Yeah, it was bad.

And, am I the only one that thought that Bane was actually _really_ polite in the movie? I know for a fact that he was suppose to be incredibly smart from all the reading I've done about his origins, plus TDKR proved his planning skills too. I mean he was _really, really_ polite; he's the silent type of killer. To me, personally, that type of villain is much scarier than... lets say Joker. With Joker you can see that he's insane and it's sort of tragically comical, but with Bane he will screw you over and you wouldn't even realize that he did until it's already too late. So keep in mind that this little observation of mine will play greatly into Bane's future character development.

**Kind Regards.**

**A.~**

**P.S** Be on a lookout for Chapter III today. It should be up soon and it will have a VERY important AN with it, okay?


	3. Interlude: Future, Uncertain

**AN: **As I am going away for my holiday from this Saturday (28th), until 11th of August I will be unable to update this story. So instead I'm giving you this interlude. This is a collection of some important snippets from what is yet to come. These are in no particular order, and most have double meaning and are probably not what you think, so try and read between the line! ;)

* * *

**Burn This Whole World Down**

**Interlude: **_Future, Uncertain_

* * *

_For a moment her fingers trembled, and she almost expected his hand to catch hers and break her wrist in half, but he didn't. He sat there like a statue, still and unmoving, his eyes burning with emotions she could never quite identify. Ella hesitated for a briefest second before her shaky fingers brushed against the cool metal of his mask._

* * *

_Selina smirked, her beautiful features twisting into something much more sinister than Ella had ever seen before._

_"Stop being so naïve. You have exactly what it takes to be just as heartless as the rest of us. Bane knows it too."_

* * *

_"Just kill me already. I know how this is going to end, so lets just end this twisted little game of ours," she spat._

_His enormous hand tightened around her neck painfully, "Death would be too kind."_

* * *

_"You will always be fond of me. I represent to you all the sins you never had courage to commit."_

* * *

_The gun in her hand weighted a ton, her breathing shallow._

_One bullet, and all of this would be over._

_Her eyes closed for a split second, she inhaled deeply, her body tensing._

_And she pulled the trigger._

* * *

_"You're heading down a dangerous road, Ella, and I know exactly where it leads. So stop it before you end up dead or worse."_

* * *

_Ella inhaled shakily, her hands trembling. She knew she could not escape him. She was so foolish to think that she ever could. Taking another breath she darted forward, but a hand shot out of the dark and locked around her waist._

_"Found you."_

* * *

_Even though she hated what was happening to the world, she knew that she couldn't turn back the clock. That was probably what hurt the most, beside knowing that her love would never be returned._

* * *

_"What names they have for you around the city. The Devil's Bride they call you."_

* * *

_A young man shook his head in disbelief. "You care about him; heck, I think deep down you always had. And you know what the sad part is? You don't even realize it."_

_Ella turned her head away in shame, feeling like she had been slapped across the face._

* * *

_She could not help but to smirk at him. "Is that a challenge, Officer?"_

_Blake chuckled faintly, matching her smirk. "Most certainly, ma'am."_

* * *

_The young blonde's body shook in her seat, her anxious blue eyes searching for something as Ella quickly carved the message onto her._

_"Go to Gordon, trust no one else."_

_She couldn't believe she was betraying Bane, but seemingly neither could the girl._

* * *

_"Don't be reckless, Ella," Selina said irritably, red lips pressing into a tight line. "Bane is not capable of good. He destroys people, and he will destroy you too. He will burn you from inside out until not but ash is left."_

* * *

_"No, no you don't, you bastard," she cried angrily, grasping onto his bloodied hand. "You don't get to die now, not after everything we've been through. You don't get to just leave me alone here."_

* * *

_She shook her head slightly, a short, bitter laugh escaping her lips. "You think I'm the traitor."_

_Bane didn't even hesitate, "Yes."_

* * *

_She smiled faintly and allowed her head to drop gingerly against the column of his shoulder, and for the first time in what felt like years, she was at peace._

* * *

_"The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it."_

* * *

_"You say love is a weakness," she said in a soft voice. "I've heard it said love is a lie that will set you free."_

_"So set me free."_

* * *

_"Can I trust you, Ella?" Blake asked as he watched her walk away. She paused, and turned her head to look at him over her shoulder, her grey eyes gentle._

_"You could," she answered. "But then again…what's the fun in that?"_

* * *

_"You may find him despicable, but right now, he's the only thing keeping you alive."_

* * *

_She stopped to look back at him, her eyes hard and expression more serious than he had ever seen before, "I did this for you. So don't you ever think that I'm not on your side. Because I am."_

* * *

_Sanity and trust, Ella realized, were like glass. Though resistant to many blows, it takes only one hard hit to shatter._

* * *

_Selina aimed, and Ella watched the sickeningly familiar scene play out right in front of her._

_Selina fired without any hesitation. _

_The shot rang loudly in her ears and a scream of genuine fear escaped her mouth._

"_**BANE!**_"

* * *

**AN: **Hehehehe...so how was it? I bet it gave you a lot to chew on, eh? Next, I would like to thank all of you for the amazing amount of support you have all showed this story so far - it's completely _mind blowing_ to be honest.

Also,** I AM LOOKING FOR A BETA!**

English is not my native language and I do make spelling and grammar mistakes all the time, so if anyone would be willingly to help me out, I would be VERY grateful. Please, if you're interested leave a review or PM letting me know. I will not be able to get back to any of you until I come back home in August, but if I somehow find a way to do it while I'm away, I will try and let you know as soon as I can. Thank you!

**This is _A_ wishing all of you the very best in upcoming few weeks! See you some time in August! ****Over and Out.**

**A.~**


	4. Bewildered Little Girl

**Burn This Whole World Down**

**Three:**_ Bewildered Little Girl_

* * *

_Take me I'm alive._

_Never was a girl with a wicked mind,_

_But everything looks better when sun goes down._

_I had everything, __opportunities for eternity._

_And I could belong to the night._

* * *

Ella could remember very well the day Bane broke Gotham into pieces. She was working on a night shift, her eyes weary and hair a mess. For some reason it was an especially hard night, the time seemingly going slower and slower with each passing minute. She was just visiting her last patient – a small 14-year old girl that had a bad case of fever, when the first wave of panic hit the newly rebuilt Gotham's General Hospital.

At first it was the amount of people that were taken into the waiting room. Doctors had their hands full with sea of people that were seemingly pouring in from every entrance, sending the hospital into a momentarily state of frenzy. Ella had seen busy days; people so badly injured that it made her stomach twist in place. But nothing, absolutely nothing could have prepared her for the horrors that awaited her for the next two weeks. Ever since the Joker attacked the city eight years ago and got caught, and the newly passed on laws in honor of Harvey Dent who supposedly, at the time, lost his life at the hands of city's vigilant hero Batman, everything in Gotham had been calmer almost tranquil. Sure, she still saw bad injuries – people in car accidents, beatings, burns, terminal illnesses, even occasional stab wound from a small crime.

But the sheer force of the devastation that Bane unleashed upon the city was nothing compared to what she was used to. At first she was too shocked to act, but once her doctor instincts kicked in, she was moving through the masses of people, trying desperately to help everyone she could.

And so the first day was hell on Earth.

People were dying right and left, the devastating cries of individuals that were still alive driving her almost mad. Ella could remember each patient she attended to in vivid detail; their names, their appearances, and in some cases the time of their deaths. It was by far the most horrifying thing she had to live through. And at that time, Ella had no idea exactly what or who had caused these horrors, but the murmurs amongst the survivors and those who volunteered to help were becoming louder and louder, all of them talking of a single individual.

A man with a mask called Bane.

And before Ella had even met him, before she had to struggle through two weeks of watching so many innocent people die for nothing and her brother James disappear, she was absolutely sure she hated the man called Bane.

Who would ever want to see such utter destruction go around the city and feel proud of it? Who could ever live with guilt of knowing he had had caused the deaths of hundreds of people, both adult and children alike.

Ella had never hated anyone before, but she was sure that if she was cable of it, she most certainly hated Bane.

She could not call Gotham innocent of course. The city was dark and corrupted, full of people that were willing to sell their souls for a better lifestyle. Even if Batman had made it better over the years, and the police had gained back some of the control, the city was still tainted, Ella knew this well. But with bad there was always good and Gotham had _good_. There were so many good people living in this city, normal, kind-hearted people that had never deserved such pain and destruction to grip their city and plunge it into the darkest abyss imaginable.

And so Ella often wondered if all of this could have been avoided, if this city still had the chance to go back to the way things had been before.

She blinked few times, surprised, coming back to reality of a dreary office room. Ella sighed, glancing around the room in hopes of finding some sort of escape route. Not that she would risk escaping anyway. All ways out of the city were destroyed and if she hid inside Gotham it would only take so long for Bane to find her.

The sound of door opening was what broke through Ella's thoughts, and she tensed, thinking that Bane was finally back. He left her alone in his office for almost fifteen minutes and she silently began to wonder if he had changed his mind about her and decided to just let her rot inside that room forever.

However, the sound of footsteps that she heard were lighter than Bane's usual ones, and she immediately knew that he wasn't the one that was currently in the room. Letting herself to relax just a little, Ella turned around to see who the person that just walked into the room was.

It was a man. He was middle height, in his late twenties or early thirties, with dark short hair and green eyes. He was dressed in the same military style the rest of Bane's men seemed to dress in. Dark browns, greys, and greens seem to be the dominating colors, along with a rifle gun in his hands. He was certainly more handsome than most of Bane's men that much Ella knew for sure.

"Hi," she broke the silence first, standing back up onto her feet.

The man gave her a nod. "Come. I was ordered to take you to your new residence."

Ella frowned faintly but obeyed, walking towards the man with cautious steps. He led her out of the room without so much as a word, leading her past the two guards and out of the building. She inhaled deeply once they stepped outside, enjoying the crispness of the air, the stoic man leading her across the street.

"So," she began slowly. "Do you have a name?"

The man turned his head to side slightly, catching her gaze with his, "And why would I tell you that?"

She clicked her tongue absentmindedly and moved to walk beside him rather than behind him like some dog. "Because I asked nicely?"

"I think you will have to find a better reason than that," he stated calmly, his lips twitching up vaguely.

Ella hummed quietly, glancing up at the tall building they were approaching. It was twenty-two floors, high-end building that Ella passed everyday to get to work as this was considered to be Gotham's City Centre. She was rather surprised that Bane chose this exact building as his HQ. This type of building didn't seem to be his style, but maybe that's exactly why he decided to use that exact building. It was a beautiful one, but not the type to draw much attention from people that may be snooping around.

"Come on," the man spoke loudly, and only then did Ella realize that she had a stopped to look at the building and her guard was already at the entrance. Ella sighed, looking around and realizing that once busy Gotham street was now practically deserted. And she couldn't help but to feel the hollow hole in her chest grow just a little more.

Gotham was far from perfect, but it was still her home.

So, after quickly catching up with mystery guard, she entered the tall building trailing a little behind him. As expected, inside of the building was as lavish looking as the outside; the massive front foyer floor was made out of white marble that seemed to be duller than it once was, the furniture mostly black and white adding to the futuristic feel of the building. Behind the main desk were no doubt a beautiful secretary once sat, was now a middle-aged man with white beard and a signature rifle gun in his hands.

The mystery guard gave the man a nod and the man behind the desk briefly glanced at her before pressing some type of button on the desk. The moment he did, the elevator door opened and Ella had to admit that having only one man in the foyer did not draw as much attention as having several more would have, and the man having control of who entered the building also proved to secure the location of their hiding place even more.

What Ella really wanted to know was why would Bane still hide when he had the entire city under his control. Perhaps, even after two weeks he felt the need to make sure that his plans were solid, and nothing could challenge his rule.

"Let's go," the man said, grasping onto her forearm and pulling her forward, although, much to Ella's surprise not harshly like the other man did.

He pushed her gently into the elevator and pressed the button to the floor before the last, almost exactly at the top. Ella couldn't help but to think that at least she would have a nice view, no matter how desolated Gotham now was compared to its usual self.

"You know you still haven't told me your name," she remarked coolly, hoping that some type of conversation may distract her from the dark thoughts that were slowly fighting their way into her brain. "You're really milking the whole 'dark and mysterious' thing."

The man grinned faintly, turning his head to look down at her. "I haven't had a woman so desperate to know my name in quite a while. Why don't you try and guess."

Ella bit her lip, and stared at the man before her. She always prided herself in being able to read people quite well, even if some were more of a challenge than others. The man in front of her was certainly one of the harder ones to read.

Her eyes drifted down his body slowly, trying to pick out some obvious tributes about him. He was tanned, but not a fake tan, a completely natural one. His hair was short and his stance as straight as a guitar string. He clearly had good manners because he treated her with some respect, he also held the gun in his hand with such familiarity that meant he knew how to use one well – better than some of the men she had seen work for Bane anyway.

"You were in military," she stated finally, just as the elevator let out a _ding!_ and the door whooshed open. "Your family is a traditional one, so the name would be a common one, maybe John or Adam if they were religious too."

The man led her out, and gave her a slightly impressed look. "You're right, but it's not John or even Adam."

Ella let out a frustrated breath, but was still thankful that her mind was now occupied by something other than her miserable fate.

"Matthew."

"No."

"William?"

"Nope."

"Daniel?"

"Certainly not."

"Samuel?"

"_Ha_, no!"

"_Urgh_, I give up, just tell me, then I will tell you mine," she groaned, not even noticing that they had arrived at their destination and the-still-nameless-man opened the door for her and they entered the room together.

"I don't need to know your name," he said with a slight chuckle. "I already do."

Ella took off her coat and scarf right away, noticing the change in temperature almost instantly. It was extremely warm compared to the cold wasteland outside.

_Military. Good family. A gentlemen. Think, Ella. _

"This is were you will be working," he declared, gesturing around the room with his hand. "I was told everything you may need is already in here."

She glanced around the room quickly, critical eyes taking in every detail around her. She was not surprised to find the room fully stocked, every type of medicine and anesthetic already visible through the glass cabinets. The room itself reminded her of the foyer, every wall around them completely white. There were couple empty cots for patients and two doors on each side of the room; Ella suspected that both were cupboard rooms to keep the supplies in.

What really bothered her though was the fact that there was no way this room was prepared in the last twenty minutes. The room was fully stocked and ready for use; it's almost as if Bane was _expecting_ this to happen, like he was prepared for this long before they actually met.

Another thing that bothered her was just _how_ much preparation was actually put into the room itself. The type of chemicals and instruments in the room made Ella think that Bane was going to force her cut someone's leg off, and sew it onto somebody else.

"Bane has been looking for a doctor long before I came along, hasn't he?" she questioned curiously, carefully reading the labels on each bottle she could lay eyes on. Ella turned to look at her guard and saw hesitance clearly in his eyes.

No wonder there, really. After all, she was their prisoner, sort of, and telling her would no doubt be disobeying Bane's orders. But then again, it all depended on just how much Bane wanted her to know, really.

"Yes," he answered tightly, his eyes a little harder than before. "He made it clear that he was looking for a good doctor that he could have a constant access to, if needed be."

"Well, isn't he a lucky guy," she grumbled bitterly, fingering a set of plastic gloves that laid on the table.

Her guard did not reply and they stood in silence for almost few minutes, before she felt her rage cool down and decided that it was not exactly his fault that all of this was happening to her, even if he was willingly working for the terrorist himself.

She turned to look at him over her shoulder, "So, where is my—"

Ella felt her heart jump, and an unwelcome gasp escaped her lips when she saw Bane's tall frame standing in the doorway.

"_Bane_."

The word sounded curl; her lips forming a tight line, jaw tensing almost uncomfortably.

The said man moved forward slowly, his hands grasping the sides of his bulletproof vest, almost as if teasing her with his deliberate slowness. She wasn't quite sure if he was trying to purposefully draw out her reaction or if he simply enjoyed the feeling of power he clearly he had over everyone else, especially her.

"I hope the room is to your liking," he said calmly, stopping few feet away from him. "You will be spending quite a lot of your time here."

"The room is fine," she admitted, her eyes momentarily moving to rest on her guard.

Bane did not even move when he spoke, "_Leave._"

The cold, mechanical ring in Bane's voice made the fine hairs on Ella's arms stand up, and she had to respect the fact that her guard did not even flinch from Bane's tone, instead he gave her one more look she couldn't quite understand and left without another word.

"I truly hate them," he said, his voice dark, "Spineless; willing to do anything for a smallest amount of power."

"That's not a very nice way to talk about your pets," she told him carefully, feeling like she was poking a sleeping tiger with a stick.

"Ah, but Miss. Brown," he started, his voice sounding almost pleasant as if they were discussing weather. "You try to present yourself as the highly moral one, but deep down you're thinking the exact same thing."

God, she hated how he was able to read her so easily. All she could see were his dark, dark eyes that seemed to catch all the light in the dim room, so they seemed to glow with orbs of fire.

He breathed, a deep, metallic rasp being the only sound in the otherwise silent room.

"Why are you doing this to Gotham? What has this city ever done to you to be on the receiving end of your rage?"

It felt oddly satisfying to be able to ask these questions at last. Ever since this started two weeks ago, Ella wanted to ask these questions everyday.

_Why?_ Why do any of this? What was the point in all of this pain and despair?

He titled his head ever so-slightly to the right, a hint of a mocking smile in his eyes, "I am doing what is necessary."

Shock was written all over her face, "_Necessary?_ Is that what you tell yourself at night while innocent people are dying out there and it's all your fault."

A certain glint suddenly flashed through Bane's eyes, and if Ella did not know any better she would have thought that he was actually amused by what she said.

"Yes, I can see the resemblance now. So full of fire."

For a minute she was confused about who exactly Bane was speaking of, but when she finally understood, her eyes widened a little, almost comically.

Of course, _her brother_.

"However, you must be careful with all that fire in your veins, Miss Brown," he spoke, his voice deceptively calm. Yet, she still managed to catch a glimpse of something else, something cold, and cruel and terrifying, and she was once again reminded just why she was so afraid of him, why _everyone_ was. "It may burn you."

"It's Ella." she gritted out, sick of being called 'Miss. Brown' all the time. It sounded completely ridiculous coming from his mouth, clipped by his distinct accent.

"_Ella…_" he said in the way that made her skin crawl, and a shiver run down her spine, and it was most definitely not a pleasant one. "People always paint me as the villain. But I'm doing this city a kindness."

Ella, lost in the moment, walked up to stand right in front of him, and some distant voice inside her head screamed at her to get back, and away from Bane as quickly as she could.

"How can anything you're doing to this city be considered a kindness?" she snapped irritably, almost immediately regretting the tone of her voice when Bane straightened to his full height, making her feel completely pathetic standing in front of him.

"And what is is so worth saving here?" he asked, "Look around the city, Ella. The crime, the grief, the pain. This isn't me. That's just humanity, just the corruption and greed of it all."

With the adrenaline and burn of anger gone from her system, the fear returned full force and Ella's hands began to tremble slightly, forcing her to fold them together in order to hide her weakness from Bane.

"Even if completely foolish, I respect you courage, Ella," he rasped deeply, leaning slightly forward, making her gulp uneasily under his intense gaze. "You're unique and I admire that, and perhaps that is why I allowed you to live even when you showed me such obvious disrespect," he stated tonelessly and Ella took a small step back, not able to hide her fear as much as she wished she could have. "But do not think that you can fool me, you ignorant girl. There is no such thing as decent people in an indecent world. And even if there was, you cannot save everyone with kindness."

Ella nodded slowly, as if agreeing with him, before she spoke again, "You're right, I can't. But there is more to Gotham than just corruption, and I refused to believe that this city is pass the point of saving."

And then, Bane did something that caught Ella completely off guard, he laughed.

"So naïve," he breathed, his voice having its usual mechanical ring that she could not imagine him without anymore. "You will learn soon though. When everything in your world will crumble and fall out of your hands, when every single memory you once held dear will cause you nothing but despair, then and only then will you know of true pain."

She stared at him, her breath stuck in her throat as she listened to him speak, his sharp eyes like razors, carving something unknown and dark onto her skin.

"You may be good, innocent on the inside, but you belong to the darkness now, and it's only a matter of time before it _devours_ you, killing everything once noble about you."

He leaned back unhurriedly, his eyes keenly taking in every twitch of her muscles. For a long while they stood still, neither speaking, one because he did not need to, other because she did not have the words to express the mad mixture of her raging emotions.

The silence was broken by a sound of a hurried knock. And when a young man threw the door open, both Ella and Bane turned to look at him.

"Sir, you called for me?" he spoke awkwardly as he glanced rather nervously between them.

"Yes," Bane confirmed, walking steadily towards the boy, and Ella could see the growing fear in his eyes gradually shifting into panic. "You are to guard this woman and make sure she does not do something stupid like try to escape. If I hear or learn that anything has happened to her…well, we will cross that bridge when we get to it," he finished, sounding almost jovial.

Then Bane strode past him, walking out of the room, and leaving Ella still speechless with the young boy.

For a long moment she could not speak, the truth of Bane's words cutting deeply into her heart.

At least, in the end, he was right about one thing.

In this cruel, dark world Bane pulled her into, she was nothing but a bewildered little girl.

* * *

**AN:** HELLO! I am pleased to inform you that I am posting this chapter from my cousin's computer and that I have not actually proof- read any of this, so forgive any obvious mistakes. Also, I would like to say a huge thank you to ALL of you because, holy hell, we reached 100 REVIEWS! You have no idea how happy that had made me. You guys actually broke my record because last time it took me four chapters to get 100 reviews so congrats, you guys! You're all amazing fans!

Also, sorry about the weirdness of this chapter. I felt like the start was very description heavy, then odd with weird humour when I tried to show a little more childish side to Ella, and finally the moral argument. I actually really liked it, but I sort of feel like Bane came out a bit weird. What do you guys think?

**Regards.**

**A.~**

**P.S.** To people that have contacted me about the Beta thing, I want to thank you all because amount of people that have contacted me about it shocked me A LOT, so I will have very hard time choosing. And as I am in hurry right now, I will get back to all of you on Sunday with my final decision. So thank you for your patience.


End file.
